Sky Sports viewers aren't hearing from Max Verstappen this weekend as the Red Bull charger has turned his back on the broadcaster's crews in Mexico due to comments made by pundit Ted Kravitz.
Verstappen has apparently taken exception with Kravitz's portrayal of last year's controversial finale in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen defeated Lewis Hamilton for the title.
In his post-US Grand Prix traditional 'Notebook' segment, Kravitz referred to last year's disputed showdown at Yas Marina as an event where Hamilton was "robbed" of the 2021 world championship.
Now, everyone and their dog has voiced their opinion on the events that marked F1's season finale, where FIA race director Michael Masi took it upon himself to circumvent the normal safety car rules in the closing stages of the race to allow for a one-lap shootout between Hamilton, the race's then long-standing race leader, and Verstappen.
Kravitz revisited the contentious epilogue while describing how it would have been great for Hamilton to defeat his nemesis, Max Verstappen, in Austin.
The Briton had indeed come close, leading the race with six laps to go until the Dutchman stole his thunder.
"[Hamilton] doesn't win a race all year, and then finally comes back at a track where he could win the first race all year, battling the same guy who won the race he was robbed in the previous year, and manages to finish ahead of him," said Kravitz.
Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz
"What a script and a story that would have been. But that's not the way the script turned out today, was it?
"Because the guy that beat him after being robbed actually overtook him, because he's got a quicker car, because of engineering and Formula 1 and design, and pretty much because of [Adrian Newey, Red Bull's Chief Technical Officer] over there."
The comments weren't Kravitz's first clumsy dig at F1's reigning world champion in Austin. Earlier in the weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, he also spewed a rather derogatory remark on Verstappen's confusing coronation in Suzuka, which actually had nothing to do with the Dutchman.
"Verstappen is around the [Austin] paddock, he seems very happy with himself. He doesn't seem to be a driver capable of winning a championship in a normal way," said Kravitz.
Kravitz's comments were obviously repeated to Verstappen who, unimpressed decided to give Sky's commentators the cold shoulder this weekend in Mexico.
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